Ethnoscientists

The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that employment for postsecondary teachers in general will grow faster than the average for all careers through 2033. This is largely because enrollment in postsecondary institutions is expected to increase in the coming years, creating a greater need for professors. Archaeologists will have have faster than average employment growth and historians will have average employment growth through 2033. Job opportunities for biological scientists should be good. Employment for medical scientists is expected to grow by 11 percent through 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.

While interest in various ethnoscience specialties may increase, it is difficult to say whether funding will increase as well. If there are federal budget cuts, there might be a decrease in the amount of money devoted to new government research projects, or existing projects might not get renewed.

It is important to remember that ethnoscience is a small occupational field—despite its many specialties. It is only gradually emerging as a popular field of academic study. Most ethnoscientists don't enter the field for riches or notoriety, but for the love of knowledge and the excitement of learning about the beliefs, traditions, and practices of the non-industrialized cultures of the world.